Egg candling machine



9, 1950 c. K. P-OWELL 2,520,610

EGG CANDLING MACHINE Filed July 7, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 19 3 4 TTOE/VEYS.

u 29, 1950 C K, POWE L 2,520,610

EGG CANDLING MACHINE Filed July '7, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 29, 1950 c. K. POWELL 2,520,610

EGG CANDLING MACHINE Filed July '1, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG] JNVENTOR. CHARLES K. POWELL fatented Aug. 29,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EGG *CANDLING MACHINE Charles K. Powell, Washington, D. 0., assignor to Chestnut Farms-Chevy Chase Dairy Company, Washington, D. 0., a corporation of Delaware Application July 7, 1948, Serial No. 37,442

3 Claims. r I

The invention relates to machines for inspecting objects by transmitted light, and more particularly to devices used in inspecting eggs, which devices are known as candling machines.

In the past it has been the practice to inspect or candle eggs byplacing them on a belt or conveyor and moving them continuously over an illuminated area. When the light shines through the eggs, any imperfections therein, such as blood spots, cracks, etc., are revealed to an operator Who then removes the faulty egg. In such an arrangement, it is necessary for the operator to watch eggs in' continuous translational motion across a brightly illuminated area. The shining of a light into the operator's eyes coupled with the inherent difficulty of constantly and simultaneously observing a number of moving objects materially reduces the speed at which eggs may be candled efiiciently.

In order that all the imperfections in an egg may be observed, it is necessary that it be viewed in various rotational positions. This is necessary because an imperfection may show as a shadow when the egg is in one position and may not be visible when it is rotated 90 about its longitudinal axis. Hence, it has been common in previous egg-can-dling machines to provide means for retating the eggs as they move across the illuminated area. However, since the rotation was continuous the operator was at the same disadvantage he was at with regard to the translational motion of the eggs across the illuminated area. The observation of the continuously rotatin egg proved tiring and difficult to perform efficiently over extended periods of time.

Among the objects of this invention is the increasing of the speed and efliciency of egg-candling through the elimination of continuous motion of the eggs and the substitution therefor of translational and rotational motion that is intermittent, thereby making it less tiring for the operator to observe for longer periods of time.

' Another object of the invention is to provide a machine that will rotate an egg on its own axis while said axis is stationary and then cease rotating it to permit continued observation of the e g while only the contents within the shell continue to rotate.

Other objects of the invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out later.

The objects of the invention are achieved by providing a bank of electriclamps set in a. horizontal plane with a rack adapted for holding eggs above these lamps. For each viewing position on the rack where an egg is held, there is a. corre- 5s sponding lamp below it. Eggs are fed to the rack from a feeding system and fit into specially shaped recesses adapted to carry them. The rack, operated by an arrangement of springs and levers, lowers the eggs onto rollers positioned above the lamps. These rollers turn the eggs through part of a revolution and operate intermittently so that an opportunity is afforded the operator to observe the egg both before and after it is rotated. The rack then moves upward and engages the eggs,

lifting them off the rollers. A forward movement of the rack carries the eggs over one or more sets of rollers to positions over another row of lamps and lowers them to the corresponding rollers. The rack then moves back to its original position thus completing the cycle. viewed from the side, the movement of the rack follows a substantially rectangular path: up, forward, down and back. The egg is moved for-'- ward to a new position at each rectangular movement of the rack and positioned differently about its longitudinal axis so that the operator may see the egg while it is stationary in a plurality of positions, Since the eggs are substantially stationary during half of the racks cycle of motion, there is adequate opportunity to inspect them carefully not only while the shell turns but alsoafter the shell has stopped turning and the contents thereof keep turning. Since each egg is moved intermittently, it is in a different position during each stationary period, making it possible to detectan imperfection which may be' noticed in one position but which might not be detected in another if the eggs were moved continuously.

For a more detailed description of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings,'in which;

Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the complete machine comprising the feed, can 'dling and delivery sections;

' Figure 2 is a side elevation of the complete machine illustr'ated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a, sectional view taken'on line 33 of Figure 1; I

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5--5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 2; and

Figure 7 is a sectional View taken on line l'! of Figure 2 with the belts removed.

The embodiment of the egg candling machine of this invention illustrated in the drawingincludes a feed. section A a viewing or oandling Th-us, when section B, and a delivery section C. The three sections lie within a stationary rectangular frame consisting of side frame members ii] and l i, end

frame members 52 and M and transverse frame partitions 26 separating the four track sections 24 and a pair of oppositely disposed guard mem- II.' The three partitions 26v and the two guard members 21 are each provided with a plurality of projecting obstructions 2 9. The rear ends of partitions 26 and guard members 21 are supported by the end frame member {2 and attached loosely thereto for limited vertical rotational movement by means of screws 3001" the like. The forward ends of the partitions 25 and the guard members 2] rest on a candling ran; '65 and are bifurcated at 3! to provide means for relative motion between the partitions 26 and guard members 2'! and spacers 69 connecting extensions 61 of the candling rack 69 with a cross brace 64 to be more specificallg described hereinafter.

The forward ends of the track sections 24 are loosely attached to the transverse frame member It, by means of screws 312 or the like to permit limited vertical movement of the rear ends which are provided with depending extensions 33 that rest upon a support 34 attached to upright frame members IQ. Four pulleys ii fi are each provided with a'pair of set screws 31, the heads 39 of which project to such an eggtent that with each revolution of the pulleys 36, each of the track sections 2 will twice be moved upwardly at the rear end of the machine.

The pulleys 36 are mounted on a shaft 40, each end of which is mounted for rotation in a journal v bearings! secured to a side frame member H as shown. The pulleys are provided with a centrally grooved section 42 adapted to receive a belt '44 passing over grooved pulleys 46 mounted on a shaft 4'! supported in journals 49. The normal level of the track sections 24, i. e. when the heads 39 of the set screws 31 are not in engagemerit therewith, the width of the track sections and the level of the top of the belt 44 are so adjusted that an egg resting on the track with its lcn'g'est axis horizontal and transverse of the track will be subjected to a minimum amount of frictien by the belt and an egg in any other positiefi would be subjected to the maiinium amount offriotion. The pulleys 35 and and the belts 44 are driiien, in the directionindicated by the arrows, by a belt arrangement to be described more specifically hereinafter acting on pulley 50 secured to one end of the shaft 40, c

The candliiig section B of the machine includes. a can ling rack Bil-composed of three central sections 6'] and two side sections 62 mainztained in fixed spatial relation to one another as shown in Figure 'l by means of transverse brace members 64 audio. The rear ends of the ScreWsllL They are also providedwithprojec-l tions 68 as shown in Figure 1. The projections 68 are preferably rod sections covered with rubber tubing that extends almost to the adjacent side of the track section 24. The forward ends of the rack sections 6| and 62 are provided with extensions H and 12, respectively, attached to the transverse brace 66 by means of spacers l4 and screws 76.- Both sides of the rack sections 6| and one side of each side section- 62 have a plurality of oppositely disposed recesses 11, each oppositely disposed pair of recesses being adapted to support one egg.

The cahdling rack 60, which is shown in its rearward and lower position in all the figures, is mounted for movement upwardly, forwardly, downwardly and rearwardly upon upright lever members 80, Stand Bla, one. pair of members being pivotally connected to the two outside extensions 61 at 82 and the other two upright lever members 8| and Ma being pivotally connected to the two outside extensions 72 0f the rack Ell at B4. The upright lever members 80 at the "feed end are lpivotally attached at 86 to levers 81 fixedly secured to as'h'aft 89, which has mounted therec'ria lever member '99 connected a tension rod '9], and coil "spring "92 to a lever 9:4 fixedly secured to a shaft 96 supported on up ghtfiame member 2!. The other pairof upright lever members BI and 31a is pivotally attached to levers 98, likewise fixedly secured to shaft 96. A cam arm 99 fi'iie'dly secured to shaft, and provided at the other end with a cam follower "IUD engages" with a, cam 11H mounted on a am Shaft m2; and he a peripheral cam face I03 and a flattened face it.

At a point intermediate the pivot connections 2 and 86 of upright lever members at, there is secured a coilispr'ing {Q6 and a tension rod 101 attached to the upright frame member 2|. An arm 10 9 fixed to and depending from the rack 60 at the delivery enjd' ofthe rack is provided ith a cam rouower I ill in engagement with a second cam i1], mounted cam hart m2 and having a peripheraljcam surface [I2 and a flattened cam surface M; I The flattened c'a'rh surfaces H34 and I M of the cams 'lfil and "I ll, respectively, are disposed r'e'lati to one a'h'oth' in such ama'nner that when ack to islatl s lowermost and rear-most po- 7 the camroncwer rut will 'be' the first to engage thesurface 10$. of the cam llll. so that the tensidning force of the coil spring 9'2 will cause the lever 94 'tor'ot'ajtein, a clockwise dir eeticri anu {the -lever at me couutemockwise direction. 'Tnes'e'motions aretransriiitted to pairs of 1evers9j3, and arse as t'c more the upright lever member's '81-, al 'd Bil upwardly to lift the rack, W g V I A t-crime rack thha's begun. mevrngupwaraiy, the follower ml reaches the; flattened cam surface [H3 or the TH and is constrained, by the tensile reirce exerted by coil spring its, to follow .the said "flattened surface with the resuit that the upright lever. members an and 81 will be rotated' -ih a coniiterclockw'ise direction and the rack '60 will be} sieved forwardly, 1 (5., towers t e delivery are or the rnachine while. the rack is raised from its lowermost-position.

As the cam follower H10, approaches the midpoint of the flattened earn; surface N4, the cam follower I 00 alsofapprcaches. the midpoint of the flattened earn surface so that the terward movement er.- therack lifl will halted and the downward movznent thereof can teem. whee t ownward i'rio lelneiitibas'bcns1ibstantially completed, that is,:;when the. cam: fol

lower- I00;v reaches gthecen'd of the cam surface I04, the cam follower; IIO .will begin to traverse thezsecond half of the gfiattened'cam surface II so asjto force movementof the rack 60' toward the; feed section against the action ,ofscoilspring. I06. When the cam' follower IIO reachesthe end of .thefiattened cam surface 4,, both cam followers I00 and I I0 will be engagedjby, theperipheral cam surfaces I03 and ll2,-respectively; so that no motion of the rack 60 will take place until the-cam follower I00 again reaches the flat surface- I04 of the cam IN. 3

. Immediately under the candling rack 60; as best seen'in Figures 1, 2, 3and 6, there are provided seven transverse shafts I each shaft having fourpairs of, disc rollers I2I and secured to ;one'

end a gear I22 inmesh with. aggear-rack I24 at the drive. side of the machine as best shown in Figure 5.; The gear rack I24 is mounted :for-

reciprocating motion on'the gears I22 anddriven byaxrod I26'pivotallyattached to the gear rack I24 ."by means. of nut and bolt, connection I21 and eccentrically and slidably attached to .the pulley I29 by means of a bolt I slidable in a slot I28.- ,Thepulley I29 is mounted on the'cam shaft I02 which 'is driven bya belt I30 engaging the pulley I3I on the cam shaft I02, said belt I30 being driven by a, motor I32.

- Mounted below the transverse shafts I20 and the gear rack I24 are four rows of lamps .I36, six lampsinieach row Each row of lamps is mounted on a support I31 secured by appropriate means to the upright frame members 20 and 2|. Immediately above the lamps I36 there is mounted a light shield I39 (see Figures 2 and 6) provided with a tilted focusing tube I40 for each lamp I36. In the preferred embodiment, the lamps I36 are of the type that emit a relativelynarrow beam of light which can be directed easily; I

' The delivery section C of the machine includes four. tracks Ihavinga slightlyrdownward tilt, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, so that the eggs will roll slowly down the incline.

In operation, the machine is set into motion by the motor I32 which, by way of belt'I30 and pulley I3I," setsinto counterclockwise rotation, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, the cam shaft I02, the cams IOI and III and pulleys I29 and I3I mounted thereon. The rotation of the cam IOI in cooperation with the tensile force of the coil spring 92 and the cam follower I00 operates to periodically raise and lower the rack 60 by means of levers 81 and 90 which actuate upright lever member 80 and levers 94 and 98 which actuate upright lever members 8|. The rotation of the cam III in cooperation with the coil spring I06 and the cam follower IIO operate periodically to move the rack forwardly and rearwardly. The rotation of pulley I29 on cam shaft I02 actuates the rod I26 to impart an intermittent reciprocating motion to the gear rack I24. The slot connection of the rod I26 to the pulley I29 and the angular relationship thereto 0f the cam surfaces I04 and H4 are such as to rotate the disc rollers I2I on the transverse shaft I20 at one distinct interval while the candling rack 60 is in its lowermost position.

Pulleys I53 and I54 are mounted on shaft I55 which is journaled in a bearing I56 mounted on support I9. The belt connections I30, I5I and I52 between pulleys I29, I53, I54 and 50 operate to move the friction belts 44 within the track, sections 24, in a rearwardly direction and.

the projecting heads 39 of the set screws 31 operate to momentarily lift the rear ends of the track sections 24 twice during each revolution of the pulleys 36.

. The eggs to be candied are placed on the track sections 24 and permitted to move down the incline to the last position on the track sections. 1. e., over the first sets of recesses TI. The intermittent lifting of the rearmost track sections 24, the rearward motion of the belts 44 within the track sections 24 and the obstructions 29 on the, partitions .26 and the side guard members 21 all cooperate to line the eggs up so that all of them will have their longest axes substantially horizontal and transverse relative to the track sections 24. The motion of the candling rack 60 to which the projections 68 are attached operates to push the eggs along the track sections 24 dur-. ing the forward motion of the candling rack 60.

As the candling rack 69 repeats its cycle of movement upwardly, forwardly and downwardly, the eggs in the first pairs of recesses T1 are deposited upon and between the first set of discs iZI mounted on transverse shafts I20. Further downward motion of the candling rack 60 disengages the eggs from the recesses TI and permits the candling rack, 60 to move rearwardly withou moving the eggs. v

At the moment the eggs are deposited upon and between the first set of discs I2I the. bolt. I25 attaching the ,rod. I2fi.,to the pulley I29 ;will be slidingin the slot I28 so that the gear rack I24 and the, rollers I2I will be stationary. This gives the operator an opportunity to view the eggs in one stationary position. Further rotation of the cam shaft I02 operates tomove the 'gear rack I24 so as to rotate the gears I22 and therefore also the .disc' rollers i2I with the result that while the candling rack. to is out of engagement, the eggs will be turnedthrough a predetermined angle. When the-cam shaft has completed a portion of a revolution, the gear rack I24 will again become stationary so that the operator will be able to view the eggs. from a different angle while the shells are stationary and the shell contents rotate within the shells-and before they are picked up by thesecond set of recesses II inthe candling rack 60' to be moved upwardly, 'forwardlyand downwardly to be deposited upon and between the second set of disc rollers I2I. The cycle is repeated for each egg until it is either deposited by the last pair of recesses I'I upon the track I50, or removed from the candling rack 60 by the operator. The level of delivery section C is somewhat below that of the rack 60 so that extensions II move over the track spacers I51 when the rack 60 moves to its forwardmost position.

It is to be understood that although the invention has been described specifically as it may be applied to the candling of eggs, it is not limited to that purpose but may, with suitable alterations and modifications apparent at once to those skilled in the art upon reading the description, be employed to inspect any article that can be graded by shining light through it. It is also to be understood that the invention includes all modifications and changes that will occur to those skilled in the art. Thus, for example, the cams IOI and III may be designed to move eggs over several sets of rollers in one movement to increase the capacity of the machine. The invention is therefore intended to include all such modifications and alterations as come within the scope of the appended claims,

p 7 Iclaim 'z' V i I 1. An egg candling machine including a feed section and a candling section wherein the-candling section comprises a source of light, means for directing light upwardly from said sourcezto a viewing position,'rotatable means anterior and posterior of said viewing position for-supporting an egg, means for intermittently rotating said egg supporting means, a conveyor havingfirst and second recesses-for the reception of eggsjtherein,

means for movingsaid conveyor successively upwardly, forwardly, downwardly and rearwardly, whereby said first recess lifts :an egg to be candied oiT the feed section, advances it to a position over the eg'gsupporting means and deposits the .egg

upon said supporting -means during the upward,

forward, and-downward movements, respectively,

of "the conveyor and said second access lifts a candledcgg from the egg supporting 'rneansand V advances it duringthe upward and forward-movefor actuatin'g'themovements of the conveyor-and the r'otationof the egg supporting means in .jtimed relation to rotate the egg supporting means after an egg is deposited upon-and before it is removed v from the supportingmeans.

J2. inspection device having a feed section and'a viewing section, said feed section'comprising a. pair of inclined tracks, a belt running between said pair-of tracks, means for varying the'angle of inclination of said tracks, andsaid" viewing section'comprising a lightsourca'a shield positioned above said light source, said shield 'having a focusing tube, a shaft, a set of rollers carried by said shaft, means for rotating intermittently said rollers, "a rack having a plug-raded fit, aplurality of supports upon. which I said rack is mounted and means for imparting horizontal and vertical motion to said supports 2 merits, respectively, of: the conveyor, ,and means 7 means.

" rality'pf recesses into which the objects to be so as to raise, move forward, lower, and move 1 backwardsaid rack. i V

-3. An egg candling machine including a 'feed section and a candling section wherein the feed ,"sectioncomprises a pair of tracks inclined downj wardly toward the candling section, a belt lengthwise of and between the tracks and movable away frorn-the candling section, the level of the belt relative to the level-of the track being adjusted 8 for minimuin contact with the shell oran gg havingits longest axis disposed substantially horizontally and transversely of said tracks, means for intermittently and momentarily increasing the inclination of the tracks, and a plurality of obstructions spaced along at least a'port'ion of the'length of the track, and wherein the candling section comprises a source of light, means for direc'ting light upwardly from said source to a viewmg position, rotatable means anterior and posterior of said viewing position for supporting an egg, means for intermittently rotating said egg supporting means, a conveyor having first and second recesses for the reception of eggs therein, means for moving said conveyor successively upwardly, forwardly, downwardly and rearwardly,

whereby said'firstrecess lifts an :egg to be candled off the tracks of the feed section, advances it to a position over the egg supporting means and deposits the egg upon said supporting means during the upward, forward, and downward movements,

respectively, of the conveyor and said second-recess lifts a candled egg from the egg supporting means and advances it during the upward and forward movements, respectively, of the conveyor; and means for actuating the movements of the conveyor and. the rotation of the egg supportingmeans in timed'relatio'n to rotate the egg supporting means after an egg is deposited upon and before it is removed from the supporting CHARLES K. .POWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany :Nov. 6, 1936- 

